from the nuclear-war dept

We've seen this happen quite a few times: when a company files a patent infringement lawsuit against another operating company, patent nuclear war breaks out, with the sued coming turning around suing the original company back for patent infringement. These sorts of "mutually assured destruction" scenarios are often what keep big patent battles in check. But, in this latest case, sent in by a bunch of you, it looks like the first strike completely failed, while the retaliation hit hard. It started with LG filing a lawsuit against AU Optronics (AUO), claiming patent infringement. AUO, in turn, sued LG for patent infringement of its own patents. The end result? The court found that LG infringed on AUO's patents, but AUO did not infringe on LG's patents. Perhaps LG will be a bit more careful before filing patent lawsuits in the future. Now AUO is seeking an injunction against LG's displays, and LG will likely have to pay out a substantial sum to AUO.